The invention relates generally to laser cutting systems and deals more particularly with a workpiece supporting bed for a laser cutter, which bed comprises independently serviceable, worksheet supporting members. The supporting members define penetrable slots and the bed may be used with a mechanism which penetrates the slots to engage a worksheet located on the bed and transport it.
Laser cutting systems of the type with which this invention is concerned typically comprise a laser beam used for cutting cloth and other worksheets, a cutting table having a worksheet supporting bed, and a means for moving the laser beam and the support bed relative to one another. A support bed for such a system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,159 to Zoot which bed has a complex, honeycombed or cellular surface layer. The cells are open at the top and made of a material which is darkened or roughened to trap and absorb laser light which passes through the worksheet and thereby prevent such light from reflecting back upon the worksheet and damaging it.
The cellular layer of '159 is fixed in relation to the cutting table and fresh worksheets are manually placed on the support bed for cutting, and cut pattern pieces and scrap are manually lifted off. However, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,811,554 to Egan, there is disclosed a rather complex support bed comprising honeycombed cells mounted on movable, interconnected slats to form an endless conveyor belt for automatically feeding fresh worksheets to a laser cutter and for removing cut pattern pieces and scrap.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,639 to Gerber, 4,137,804 to Gerber and 4,112,797 to Pearl, support beds for high pressure, fluid jet cutters are disclosed, each of which beds comprises a series of parallel bars supported length-wise with their upper sides sharpened to form knife edges. The knife edges split fluid cutting jets after they pass through a worksheet to prevent back splatter. Applicant believes that such bars, even though sharpened, are not suitable to be used as a support bed for a laser cutter because they are much too thick to prevent undesirable back reflections from points adjacent the top edges. U.S. patent '639 also discloses that thin wires may be laid transversely across the knife edges of the bars if desired to provide additional support for the material on the bed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,748 to Leslie, two support beds for high pressure, fluid jet cutting apparatuses are disclosed. One of which beds comprises a grid of 0.015 inch diameter wires and the other bed comprises a series of parallel wires collectively supported and tension between rollers. No dimensions are disclosed for the parallel wires of the latter bed, but it is presumed that they have the same diameter as those of the grid, which dimension is small enough to break up a fluid jet but is too large to effectively disperse and prevent reflections of laser beams used for cutting cloth and other worksheets.
A general aim of the invention is to provide a simple worksheet supporting bed for a laser cutting system.
Another aim of the invention is to provide such a worksheet supporting bed comprising worksheet supporting members which are independently adjustable or replaceable.
Another aim of the invention is to provide a worksheet supporting bed for a laser cutter which has a surface on which cloth can easily slide without snagging.
A more specific aim of the invention is to provide a worksheet supporting bed for a laser cutter which bed may be penetrated by a mechanism which engages and transports a worksheet located on the bed.
Another specific aim of the invention is to provide a worksheet supporting bed for a laser cutter which is gas-permeable.
Other aims and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings.